Which SAT should you take?

The new SAT comes out next March, in the middle of this next year. The switch presents a dilemma to Class of 2017 juniors: Should you get it over with, with the old SAT or take a chance with the new one?

We recommend that juniors take the old SAT for the first time January 2016, the new SAT the first time June 2016, and additional times thereafter if necessary.

Taking the old SAT next January is for experimental purposes. The main opportunity to maximize your score is with the new SAT because you have almost another year more for it. Some of you might have the mindset that you should take the old SAT and finish it off But your mindset with the SAT should be to maximize your score, not to get it over with soon. Let's take an extreme example: Say, even if you get a 2300 this fall on the old SAT, you should still take the new SAT next year because your score will naturally increase.

Should you worry that you will not do as well on the new SAT as on the old one? Worry not. You will most likely do similarly on both versions. Can you imagine a good student getting a good score on the old version but a low score on the new one? Likely not. One part of the reason is that the level of your study skills and cognitive ability does not change. Another part of the reason is the way the SAT is scored: Scores on each test administration are compared among all students and are ultimately curved to reflect a fair distribution of scores. In other words, no matter what, only a certain number of students get a 2400 (or a 1600), and it is that way all the way down the score scale. A corollary from this is that despite impressions that the new SAT will be easier than the old one, whatever absolute differences in difficulty level do not affect your ultimate score, which is normed.

The absolute good news is that your hard work will pay off more on the new SAT than the old because the new SAT is less a test of fundamental skills/IQ and more a test of applied ability. So work hard!

为帮助学生准备明年的新SAT，哈思人文于今年秋季推出新SAT 课程。有兴趣的学生请到哈思人文网站注册 (http://www.hearthhumanities.com/)。

Hearth Humanities (哈思人文)

430 Prospect Place, Alpharetta, GA 30005

Tel: 678-925-3437 or 617-800-9866